


The Red Sky At Dawn (is Giving a Warning)

by and_a_dash_of_Angst



Series: Lambden Angst [1]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, I promise, M/M, No beta we die like stregobor should have, Oops, This did not go as planned, he's not really dead, inspired by Sherlock Holmes and Reichenbach Falls, temporary major character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27801469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/and_a_dash_of_Angst/pseuds/and_a_dash_of_Angst
Summary: Aiden and Lambert plan a romantic meetup on a scenic overlook at the edge of the continent's version of Reichenbach Falls. Things do not go as planned.[angst]
Relationships: Aiden/Lambert (The Witcher)
Series: Lambden Angst [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2165655
Comments: 17
Kudos: 26
Collections: The Witcher Flash Fic Challenge #011





	The Red Sky At Dawn (is Giving a Warning)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y’all! Ace here- this work is actually made by Leah, and_a_dash_of_angst. Due to some technical difficulties, I’m listed as a co-author, but I did not write this fic- this wonder’s all Leah’s :D.

Why had he thought it was a good idea to be awake and moving well before the sun even rose? Oh, right, Aiden. The Cat, ridiculous morning person that he was, always wanted to meet up at the ass crack of dawn like those extra couple hours together that he _could have spent sleeping_ were far too important to lose; sure, it was sweet, and the romantic in him (that he thought he’d buried with the rest of his year-mates after the Trials, but was now being slowly yet steadily unearthed by Aiden and his stupid soft smiles) wanted to melt like the broken bits of scrap metal in his forge whenever he thought of it, but the rest of him just wanted to be asleep.

Normally he refused to meet anywhere near this early, but Aiden had convinced him with the promise of an unique and breathtaking view of the sunrise. He didn’t often indulge his love of pretty things (although an argument could be made about spending so much time with Aiden- _never mind._ ) but Aiden knew all the right buttons to push to make him give in. As they’d lain together, Lambert safely wrapped in Aiden’s strong arms ( _not_ spooning, because Lambert is _not_ a _little spoon_ ), on their last morning together a few weeks ago, he’d described a large flat rock that formed a sort of island in the river that ended barely a few feet before the sheer drop off of the higher-than-Eskel-fucking-a-Succubus cliff that interupted the river and made it fall a full {distance} before continuing on its path to the sea. Apparently Aiden had camped there when he was passing through the area previously, the deep rushing water and deadly heights surrounding the spot sufficient to keep just about anything but a witcher from reaching it, therefore providing a sense of safety rarely found on the Path, and the way his lover had described the peaceful beauty of watching the sunrise reflect off the river and the mists of the falls had been enough to tempt Lambert into an earlier meetup time.

He broke out of the last layer of the forest into the wide plain of the river plateau just as the first rays of dawn were tinting the sky a lovely rosy hue, an almost perfect match for the deep flush that tinted Aiden’s cheeks and all the way down his chest during moments of particular, er, exertion. _Or,_ the more pessimistic side of his mind whispered, _it could be freshly spilled blood_ . Just as he’d paused his careful trek along the uneven river bank to berate the voice inside his head for trying to put a damper on his rare good mood and imminent reunion with his lover, he heard the sound of steel clashing with steel rising up over the roar of the wind and the water; a quick glance ahead showed two figures fighting along the top of a long rock that was just barely visible peaking over the surface of the river raging around it, _exactly where he was supposed to meet Aiden_.

As he sprints toward the fighting figures as fast as he can manage without the probability of slipping into the river to be swept to an untimely demise climbing unacceptably high, he watches one of the figures - Aiden, he’s close enough by now to recognize the distinctive turquoise of his armor- disarm the other with a sharp twist of his sword that flung his opponent’s weapon into the seething water rushing by not 5 feet from where they stood. Before he can do more than open his mouth to draw a breath of relief, however, the mystery man (witcher, he was a witcher, that much was clear from the second sword that still remained sheathed on his back) draws a crossbow out of seemingly nowhere and points it straight at Aiden’s heart. He immediately refocuses on his sprint along the river, unable to do anything but watch helplessly as Aiden backed up further and further, trying to keep enough distance between himself and the advancing figure that he’d have time to react and dodge if the bolt was fired, but also - terrifyingly - rapidly approaching the edge of the rock’s elevated surface and the deadly drop off just a few feet behind that.

As he splashes through the shallow water cutting off the far end of the island from the main riverbank, the two Cats in front of him- now that he had gotten closer, he could make out the distinctive design of their armor (armor that he knew almost as well as his own after all the times he’d helped Aiden take it off), as well as the obvious damage to both sets- finally seem to notice his presence. He sees Aiden’s eyes lock onto his with obvious recognition as they briefly leave the tensed shoulders of the other Cat to find the source of the new noises, and catches a glimpse of a vaguely familiar profile - _ah, right, it was that bastard Jad who had tried to trick Aiden into helping him with, wait, not the right time_ \- as Karadin shifted his gaze back to take in the sudden appearance of a new, fresh opponent with a flicker of panic. Lambert is just close enough to see Aiden’s eyes widen, apparently having seen something telling in his brother’s face, before he hears the sharp _twang_ of a crossbow bolt being released and his lungs seemingly cease functioning as his entire body tenses in panic. A moment later, and all Lambert can do is heave a sigh of relief as Aiden’s lightning fast reflexes once again save the day and allow him to twist to the side, depriving the arrow of its intended destination in his heart’s heart.

Lambert barely had a second to relax before the icy talons of soul crushing terror grip him once more. The crossbow bolt had slammed into Aiden’s shoulder with enough force to pierce the hide of a wyvern; alone, such an injury would have been no more than a minor worry for a witcher with a good supply of potions, but Aiden’s usually impeccable balance had already been thrown off by some of the hits Jad had managed to score before he lost his sword, and that, combined with the slick surface of the rock constantly dampened by mists rising from the falls barely over a yard away and the impact of the bolt so high on his body, it was more than enough to push Aiden off his feet. Lambert watched in horror as gravity took its course, pulling the man he loved more than anything on the continent down onto the very edge of the rock. His legs and the bottom half of his torso were swept along in the thundering current as his hands scrabbled desperately across the rock for a handhold to resist the river trying to bring him with it to what would surely be certain death. Lambert barely noticed the murderous fucking bastard disgrace of a Cat using his distraction to get the fuck out of there, _because surely he knew Lambert’s next priority after Aiden was going to be to wring his traitorous little neck_ , as he flew across those last dozen yards, his pulse roaring in his ears as he watched Aiden slip further and further into the water. He’d never believed in any god, but now he was praying to every deity he’d ever heard of that Aiden would manage to hold on for just another few seconds, just long enough for Lambert to reach him.

Lambert reached the edge and dove forward, straining to reach his love, just as Aiden’s fingers slipped off the final inch of rock he’d been clinging to, the current whisking him away a fraction of a second before Lambert’s hands closed around the space where his had been. In a life of unimaginable horrors, the image of Aiden’s shocked face and reaching hands disappearing over the ledge and into a curtain of mist was undoubtedly the worst he’d ever seen, and he was helpless to stop the desperate scream that tore itself from his lips, from his throat, from the very depths of his soul.

“ _AIDEN!!!”_

**Author's Note:**

> I ran out of time to finish writing the second half of this, but I have a whole lot more outlined where they get a happy ending (though I warn you it gets worse before it gets better)


End file.
